A social network service is an online service, platform or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people (e.g., those who share interests and/or activities). A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as by e-mail and instant messaging. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks.
Social networking sites (e.g., Facebook®) present to a particular user the posts (e.g., comments to a photograph or photo album) and stories by other users in a social networking feed (referred to as a “news feed”). New postings or updates from friends and pages followed by the user (including photo tags, event updates, group memberships and other activity) will be reflected in the news feed. At times, some of the posts or updates include comments directed to containers (e.g., photo album) or the contained elements (e.g., photographs). However, it is not always clear as to whether the comment stream applies to the elements of the container or to the container itself.
For example, a user of a social networking site may receive a notification indicating that an update to a photo album has occurred, such as four new photographs being added to the photo album. A depiction of the photo album along with the photographs in the album may appear to the user so that the user can comment on the album. However, the user may believe that he/she is commenting on one of the photographs of the photo album as opposed to the photo album itself which leads to confusing comment streams. As a result, when the user sees the photograph as part of an album update, the user may see his/her comment in the comment stream; however, when the user sees the comment stream pertaining to the photograph itself, the user will not see his/her comment thereby causing confusion to the user.
Furthermore, when an update is made to an element of a container (e.g., photograph) or to a container (e.g., photo album), users, such as followers of the user who updated the element or container (e.g., posted a new comment about the photograph), may receive a notification of the update. However, such notifications are fragmented in that they occur after every update for a single element of a container or the container and do not provide a view of the social interactions involving an update of several related elements or containers (e.g., photographs, documents).
Hence, the comment streams depicted in social networking sites do not clearly distinguish whether the comments are directed to the elements of the container or to the container itself. Furthermore, the notifications in social networking sites pertaining to updates (e.g., comments) being made to an element of a container or to a container do not provide a view of the social interactions involving an update of several related elements or containers.